“Music is my savior.” These phrases, uttered with conviction by Jeff Tweedy in the course of the second set of Wilco’s 32-song efficiency on the Met, rattled by means of the bones of the sold-out Philly crowd. Later in “Sunken Treasure,” the tune’s second-to-last line, “I used to be tamed by rock ’n’ roll,” echoed all through one in every of our truthful metropolis’s premier venues, and the essence of Wilco’s impact on its fandom was summed up by this excellent tune from 1996’s Being There. Rock music is a superb, acquainted consolation that may soothe and calm our soul. Wilco supported this thesis all through an beautiful night of music.
The elegant staples of each nice Wilco stay expertise have been current in Philly, and the band sounded spectacular. Each “Spiders (Kidsmoke)” and “Through Chicago,” with their epic soundscapes, have been heard. Woodie Guthrie through Mermaid Avenue appeared twice: “Hesitating Magnificence” and “California Stars” unwrapped the previous within the current. The brilliance of Nels Cline’s solo on “Unattainable Germany” was nestled within the second set, with the guitarist charming the viewers for almost six minutes.
And let’s not overlook the deep love for the singalong nature of “Jesus, And so on.” and a one-two punch of “Heavy Steel Drummer” and “I’m The Man Who Loves You” to finish the second set. None of those moments are ever to be taken as a right. On Tuesday, they particularly couldn’t be missed as a result of the fantastic acoustics of the Met allowed for Wilco to sound as nice as ever.
The set leaned closely into 2007’s Sky Blue Sky, which actually happy the gang. Whenever you see a bunch of grown males leaping for pleasure when “Aspect With The Seeds” is being unspooled, it’s signal. Half of Sky Blue Sky was performed, with songs like “Hate It Right here” and “Walken” sounding higher than ever. Even when its most up-to-date full-length was mainly ignored, with 2023’s Cousin solely getting one tune, Wilco unfold numerous love round its 31-year-old discography.
Tweedy barely spoke to the viewers till after “Sunken Treasure” concluded. He then addressed his admiration for Philadelphia to reassure us Wilco does need to play right here, even when we complain greater than another place on the planet about our repeated absence from the band’s tour schedules. “Jesus, And so on.” and “Unattainable Germany” adopted, making for an superior three-pack of sonic splendor.
An evening not simply forgotten for any fan, not to mention somebody like me who’s seen them greater than 20 instances now, Tweedy and Co. confirmed why they’re among the finest at rock ’n’ roll proper now.
—phrases and pictures by Chris Sikich
